The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry

China Daily 15th June 2017, China’s CGN a step closer to bringing its nuclear technology to UK: China’s
goal of boosting its nuclear technology sector took a big step forward on Wednesday with the creation of three new companies in the UK by China General Nuclear Power Corporation. The new entities are: Bradwell Power
Corp, which will be responsible for the 100 percent Chinese-built Bradwell B nuclear plant; General Nuclear System Ltd, which will shepherd China’s Hualong technology through the exacting five-year UK approval process; and General Nuclear International, which will manage CGN’s projects in the UK.

He Yu, CGN chairman, said: The unveiling of three companies is a solid step forward for CGN to expand its operation in the UK. With its new subsidiaries unfolding, the company is confident that it will grow steadily in the field of nuclear technology in Britain.”

The United Kingdom will formally assess the Hualong One technology as part of a deal reached last year, in which Chinese investment will help build the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, in which France’s EDF is a major participant, and which will
feature French technology. CGN and EDF have been working together for more than 30 years on nuclear development and construction in China.

Under last year’s agreement, CGN and EDF will collaborate on three UK nuclear plants: Hinkley Point C, in Somerset; Sizewell C, in Suffolk; and Bradwell, in Essex.

CGN intends to use Hualong One technology at Bradwell, which could be the first nuclear plant in a developed economy to use Chinese technology. The companies will seek to get the Hualong One technology approved in the UK via an assessment known as the Generic Design Assessment process. It usually takes about five years to complete.

China hopes that UK approval of its technology will open the door to its use in other countries because the UK’s appraisal regime is considered by industry experts to be the strictest in the world. The proposed Bradwell project is in an early
pre-planning stage, something that is likely to continue for many years, via investigative work and public consultation, before detailed proposals will be produced, allowing a planning application to be made.http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2017-06/15/content_29748140.htm